16 Mar 2012

For the Camberwell PressInto the Fold exhibition I organised a printmaking workshop as part of Day 6 proceedings. The task was to explain the interactions of particles expressed in Richard Feynman's diagrams. Although they appear aesthetically simple, this is quite the opposite. Each element in the diagram represents an underlying physical phenomena/particle interaction and there are strict rules that govern how they are constructed. Though, for this workshop, we probably bent the rules a little bit in order to express them stylistically and quickly. They were, however, scientifically checked out by our resident physicist, Abby Schlageter, one half of the magnificent super/collider; a not for profit organisation which aims to promote science through the creative industries.

Although once shunned by the more traditional side to the physics community, these diagrams are now standard practice in the way particle interactions are described and visualised by scientists today.

Life-long printmaker and Camberwell illustration tutor Mary Kuper introduced the students to the card-cut method (or Collograph printing as it is sometimes known.) Using pieces of A4 card and a variety of tools, the students ripped, carved and etched into the surface. Every mark can be translated in quite fine detail using the small handmade relief press. Aesthetically expressive and instantaneous, the finished diagrams expose the beauty of Feynman's icons, as well as reflect the way in which he brought them irreverently into the world.